SALEM — Millions of U.S. households, including more than 600,000 Oregon families, received payments last month through an expansion of the federal child tax credit.

President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package inflated the value of the credit for most families, but it also included monthly checks or deposits to eligible families to hasten the credit’s impact during the pandemic.

The payments are actually an advance based on the government’s projections for next year’s tax returns.

The first advance payments — up to $300 per qualifying child under 5, and up to $250 for children aged 6 to 17 — landed in mailboxes and direct deposit accounts in mid-July.

Oregon families received a total of $173.2 million in July, according to the Internal Revenue Service, with payments averaging $425. So how did Oregon families use that cash?

According to new survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the largest group — about 42% — used the money to pay down debt. Another 32% said they squirreled most of it away in savings. Only about 24% said they used most of it to make purchases.

Those responses are similar to the rest of the country, according to the survey.

The pattern is different from how Oregonians said they used their three rounds of stimulus payments in 2020 and 2021. Most spent the first of those payments right away, then put the next two into savings.

The payments will continue through December, and how families spend their child tax credit payments could change over time as pandemic conditions shift, and with them the potential for more economic fallout.

Among Oregon families that reported they spent most of the child tax credit payments, the greatest share reported spending it on food. The funds also went toward school tuition, programs and supplies; clothing; mortgage or rent; utilities or other bills; and child care.

The American Rescue Plan increased the size of the credit, widened eligibility, and made it fully refundable for 2021, meaning families who owe no income tax can claim the full credit.

Parents are eligible for full payments if they make up to $75,000 for single filers or $150,000 for joint filers. People who earn more will receive partial payments, reduced by $50 for every additional $1,000 in income.